


from the bottom of my heart

by AmyDancepantsPeralta



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, First Christmas, Mentions of Karen - Freeform, mentions of Mac
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyDancepantsPeralta/pseuds/AmyDancepantsPeralta
Summary: She dips her head into his neck, that perfect mixture of flowers and ink that he’s come to know asAmywashing over him, and even though Jake’s technically been here for hours, finally it feels like he’s home.
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 14
Kudos: 57
Collections: B99 Discord Secret Santa Event 2020





	from the bottom of my heart

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, emuslupin/dumpsteramy! 🎅🏼🎄 Thank you for such lovely prompts, I hope you enjoy this little snippet into a nervous Jake as he and Amy approach their first Christmas together! ♥️

**from the bottom of my heart**

For a detective that had - a mere five hours ago - participated in the takedown of one of Brooklyn’s most notorious killers, Jake Peralta knows that he is feeling _way_ too nervous about the tiny parcel that is currently sitting inconspicuously on his kitchen counter. 

He reminds himself of this fact, hands obsessively wiping down each surface one last time in preparation for Amy’s arrival - running through his memory bank of various moments of _bad-ass_ ery - but try as he might; every single time he glances at the box, wrapped in brown paper and too small to be anything _but_ innocent, his heart leaps back up into his throat all over again. 

It’s possible, he reasons; as he grabs the last pair of dirty socks off the floor and throws them in the direction of the hamper, that it’s because this year is one of the few times that he’s actually had a girlfriend over the holiday season. 

(The reason behind that detail, he’s not entirely sure hasn’t been deliberate, however that’s just a little too much to unpack right now.)

But it’s also possible (and honestly, _curse_ his impeccable detective instincts, because sometimes ignorance truly is bliss) that it’s because of _who_ his girlfriend is this year; and how much he’s already hoping for a hundred or more Christmases together, that his nerves just plain refuse to take a chill pill for a minute or two.(Or was it _whom_?Seriously.He cannot tell.)

And then, there’s also the minor fact that he’s kinda sorta already completely fallen in love with her - a tiny nicety that he cannot bring himself to say out loud just yet, because that really is a bell that one cannot unring.But there were implications within that little brown box, connotations of many more years together that hasn’t yet been suggested but that he wants to imagine could actually be possible, and right now he could really do with Terry’s magic 8 ball to give him some kind of sign that everything is going to turn out just fine. 

_Just be cool, Peralta.No biggie if Amy doesn’t like it._ Jake winces, head shaking at his own thought; checking on the takeout keeping warm in the oven.He really is a terrible liar. 

It’s only the sound of a key sliding into the lock - _AMY’S key, because they are dating and have each other’s keys and it really shouldn’t make him this giddy two weeks later but it really does_ \- that pulls Jake’s mind away from his slightly obsessive thoughts, and his face morphs into a happy grin as Amy lets herself in to his apartment. 

Her face is flushed from the cold, half hidden behind a layer of scarves and jacket collars, but then their eyes meet and she smiles and _oh, he really is the luckiest guy in all of New York._

“Hey!Sorry I’m a little late.Just got completely swept up in that last bit of paperwork, you know?”Letting his front door swing shut behind her, she uses her free hand to unwrap the layers of wool, craning her neck to meet Jake’s _welcome home_ kiss.“But!I made us some cookies for dessert.Santa ones, with lots of icing.You’re gonna love them.”

He gives Amy what he hopes is a convincing smile, helping her slide the last sleeve of her jacket off and casting it on a nearby barstool as her hands wrap around his waist.“Sounds amazing, babe.”

“Mmm.More kisses, please.”

It’s a polite request - honestly, he’d have responded the same even if it been a demand - and as a contented smile lifts Jake’s lips he leans in for another kiss, letting this one linger for a moment or two, purely because he can. 

She sighs against his mouth, shuffling closer and planting her palms against his hoodie; reaching up for the zipper as their lips press together once more.

His eyebrows raise as the zipper descends, pulling away slightly as her hands wrap around his now free middle with a secret smile.She dips her head into his neck, that perfect mixture of flowers and ink that he’s come to know as _Amy_ washing over him, and even though Jake’s technically been here for hours, finally it feels like he’s home. 

The hug continues for a beat, and despite the fact that he’d probably stand here for hours if Amy only asked, Jake breaks the comfortable silence to voice a nagging suspicion.“Can’t tell if this is a sweet hug from my girlfriend, or a brazen attempt to steal all of my body heat.”

“You know I’m an excellent multi-talker, Peralta.Clearly, it’s both.”Her soft lips press against the base of his neck as though offering payment for his services, and Jake’s grip on his girlfriend tightens.“You’re just so warm, and Brooklyn is _so_ cold tonight.”

“Oh, so this is like a two-for-one deal kinda sitch.”

Amy nods, the soft edge of her chin rubbing along Jake’s collarbone and _truly, he could have a thousand more nights just like this._

Her head lifts slightly, sniffing the air before turning her attention back to Jake.“Can I smell Thai Guy’s Tom Kha Kai?”

“You can.”

She grins, giving his waist a quick squeeze before releasing him from her warmth-stealing hug.“Wow.You definitely win Best Boyfriend for today.”

“Best Boyfriend?Noice.If I’d known it was that easy, I would’ve ordered double on standby for future awards.”

Amy grins, chuckling softly before noticing the parcel (because she honestly _is_ the best detective - even if he’ll never say it out loud), letting her hands run along the edges of his hoodie as she pulls away to make a closer inspection.“What’s this?”

His heart has most definitely returned to it’s seemingly new home at the base of his throat, but somehow Jake manages to persevere.“Oh, it’s some-nothing really … just something I picked up and it’s nothing really it doesn’t matter.”

Her right eyebrow twitches up, throwing him that look she gets whenever she senses a lead, and Jake sighs.

“So … I know you know how my mom used to work a lot, since my dad was a leaving jerk who left like a jerk and whatever.”Amy nods, remaining silent.“Well, the holidays always paid really well so I spent a lot of them with Nana or Gina or sometimes just me and the tv.”

“And Die Hard.”

“Naturally.It’s the only Christmas movie worth watching.And we’d make our own holiday day, somewhere in the week, so the whole actual date thing really wasn’t that big of a deal.But … we did have this one tradition, that actually started the first Christmas after my dad left.”

He watches nervously as Amy rounds the counter, using the tip of her perfectly manicured fingers to shuffle the parcel closer to her position, and takes a heavy swallow.“My mom would buy - and sometimes make - ornaments, and put pictures of us from throughout the year in them.”Running one hand through his hair, Jake moves until he’s leaning against the opposite side of the bench.“She said that way, we were celebrating the year that was and making wishes for more of the same.As you can imagine, as time went on the tree had a bunch of photos of her and I.It was actually kinda cool.”

“It sounds really lovely, Jake.”

Nodding, Jake points at the package Amy’s nimble fingers have begun toying with, silently encouraging her to lift the lid as he continues.“Yeah, so … I sort of had this thought that maybe … this year there could be one with us on the tree.”

Giving Jake one last curious glance, Amy lifts the lid of the small brown box, chewing her lower lip as the contents come into view. 

With his stomach feeling like it’s dropped to his feet, Jake leans into the counter, waiting with bated breath for Amy’s response; and she lifts the tiny wreath ornament from it’s resting place, letting the trinket spin as a selfie Jake took of the two of them two months ago flickers in front of their eyes. 

It’s the silence that’s killing him, the need to explain and deflect and pretend everything is fine too strong, and even though Jake knows he’s rambling, the words just start tumbling out of his mouth.“It’s no biggie, really.Just something that I thought might be cool.It’s okay if you hate it, we don’t need to bother next year, thats if there even is a next - ” The gentle press of two of Amy’s fingers against his lips throws Jake into silence, and she holds them in place as she rounds the corner of the kitchen counter again, only pulling away once she’s by his side again. 

“Jake.I think it’s wonderful.I could never hate this.”

With the sense of relief flooding through his veins, Jake manages a smile, tucking the strand of hair that’s fallen from Amy’s work appropriate up-do behind her ear.“Yeah?"

“Yeah.It’s amazing, actually.”Her hands come to rest on either side of his neck, the sheer familiarity and comfort of the move subsiding any linger nerves as she looks up at him with the softest gaze.“A really special tradition, that I cannot wait to continue.And honestly, I just feel so lucky that you’d want to share it with me.Thank you, babe.”

Her lips press against his as she pulls him in for a grateful kiss; and even as his hands slide along the smooth edges of Amy’s back, Jake can’t help but think that if there’s anyone in this kitchen that’s lucky, it is most definitely him.After all, not only does Amy love the tradition, she _cannot wait to continue it -_ and what could be greater than that?

He wraps his arms around Amy completely, pulling her in for a tighter hug as the kiss breaks, and with her chin resting against his shoulder she takes in the rest of her surroundings.

“Hey.You cleaned!”

Feeling a tiny glimmer of pride at her observation, Jake nods to play it cool.“Well, you know.Tis the season, and all that.”

“The cleaning season?”Gasping, Amy tilts her face back up to Jake with a giant smile.“Oh my gosh, can you imagine!?There could be a different cleaning method each day!”

Her eyes are bright, taking on that special sparkly quality that just takes her beauty levels from one hundred to one thousand as she describes all the different products that could be used, and he is most definitely, absolutely, totally and utterly, head over heels in love with Amy Santiago. 

“Look, all of that sounds _amazing_ , Ames, and I’m sure one day if you wish really hard it might even come true.But … for now, how about we eat this Best Boyfriend Award winning dinner I ordered and watch some top quality movies on the couch?"

Amy nods, raising one finger in a friendly reprimand.“But no Die Hard, we watched it just last week.”

“It’s a vintage classic, babe!The kind of movie that never grows old.”

Her responding eye roll is good-natured in it’s delivery, a gentle slap landing along the line of shoulder.“Vintage or not, I get to choose the movie tonight.”

Letting out an exaggeratedly defeated sigh, Jake decides that a pre-dinner commiseration cookie is in order, and he lifts the lid to the container as Amy removes their food from the oven.

“Uh, babe … are these the cookies you made?”

“Yeah?”

“They look … neat.”Jake smiles, one that he knows isn’t very convincing, but he’s also not entirely certain that the lumps he’s discovered in the container are actually cookies - even out of technicality.

Amy’s eyes narrow, abandoning her serving of rice to gaze over Jake’s shoulder, jabbing a finger into his spine.“Out with it, Peralta.”

“No, it’s nothing, it’s just … have you ever seen that show, _Nailed It?_ ”

Her jaw drops, brows raising in obvious indignation as she reaches for one of the lumps.“Hey!Eat your damn cookie, detective.Or don’t go expecting anything to happen with your candy cane tonight.”

“My candy ca- _oh_!My ‘ _candy cane’_.Ha.Nice euphemism, Ames.”Winking, he snatches the cookie out of Amy’s protective grip, snarfing it down in one bite.“Mmm, yummy.Don’t mind me, just standing here enjoying this deliciously amazing cookie that my incredible girlfriend made for me with her bare hands and doesn’t taste like a salt lick at _all_.”

Casting a side-eyed glance at Jake as she returns to serving their dinner, Amy mutters something about how she _really thought the extra icing would hide the salt taste;_ and even though it’s probably completely insane, he feels strangely excited at the thought of many more years pretending to enjoy his girlfriend’s cooking. 

The idea of it all - of a mixture of Christmases, Hanukkahs and Noche Bueanas alike filling up their years - makes Jake’s face break out into a stupidly wide grin; and without thinking he reaches for another cookie, this time making no complaint as the salty sweet combination begins to grow on him. 

And truly, there could not be any greater sign that he is completely in love with Amy if he tried.

(A few or so years from now, there will be a Christmas tree standing tall in the living room of theSantiago-Peralta home, covered in ornaments and memories alike.Their son Mac will place the very last decoration on the tree - a tiny little sonogram of his soon-to-be-born little sister - and Jake will ruffle his hair and remember a time when all of this had only been an unspoken dream.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave kudos or comments, they are so appreciated 💖


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